Method of making needled fabric



April 1953 F. R.'M0DERMOTT METHOD OF MAKING NEEDLED FABRIC ZSHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed April as, 1949 IN VEN TOR. M 0M mW April 21, 1953 F. R. MODERMOTT METHOD OF MAKING NEEDLED FABRIC Filed April 25. 1949 2 SI-IEETS-PSI-IEET' '2 IN VEN TOR.

amwwmvwa WM W Patented Apr. 21, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,635,322 METHOD OF MAKING NEEDLED FABRIC Francis Roland McDermott, Franklin, Mass. Application April 23, 19 }9, Serial No. 89,301

2 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of so-called .needled fabrics, and one object of the invention is to provide a novel method of making a needled fabric having granulated filling material incorporated therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of making needled fabric of this type in which the granulated filling material will be incorporated in the central or core portion only of the fabric, one or both faces of the fabric being free from granulated material.

The character of the granulated filling material to be incorporated in the fabric may vary according to the uses to which the completed fabric is to be put. For instance granulated cork makes an excellent filling material if the fabric is to be used for insulation purposes, or if it is desired to make a light weight fabric of this type.

In order to give an understanding of the invention, I have illustrated in the drawings one way of practicing the invention.

Fig. l is a schematic perspective view illustrating the manner in which the granulated material is incorporated in the fabric.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows the operation of needling the fabric.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale showing a fabric embodying my invention.

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating the operation of impregnating the fabric "with some binding or stiffening material.

The body of my improved fabric is formed in the .usual way by, laying a web of unspun fiber, such for instance as jute fiber, back and forth in zigzag fashion transversely across a traveling apron thereby to produce a multi-ply fabric, which is afterwards subjected to a needling operation in a needle loom for the purpose of condensing the layers and interlocking the fibers thereof.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I indicates a web of unspun fiber, such for instance as jute fiber, which is laid in zigzag fashion transversely across a traveling apron 2 thereby producing a fabric body l5 having a width equal to the apron 2 and comprised of a plurality of superimposed layers of the web I having an overlapping relation in the direction of the length of the traveling apron 2.

This laying of the web I on the traveling apron 2 may be accomplished in any suitable way, one well known means for this purpose being what is known as a Garnett machine. Said machine has means for feeding the web I forward and over a direction roll 3 and then downwardly between two guide rolls 4 which are carried on the lower end of a swinging frame, not shown, that has a Swinging movement back and forth transversely over the traveling apron 2 as indicated by the arrows at in Fig. 1. By this means successive sections or lengths 5 of the web I are laid transversely across the traveling apron in a zigzag overlapping manner, the adjacent sections being superposed one on the other in an overlapping relation lengthwise of the apron 2, thereby making a plural ply fabric. a

The thickness of the fabric thus formed depends on the relation between the speed of movement of the traveling apron 2 and the back and forth web-laying motion of the rolls 4. If the traveling apron 2 is moving slowly relative to the hack and forth movement of the rolls, the overlapping relation between the adjacent layers 5 will be relatively small and the resultant fabric will have an increased number of superposed plies and hence an increased thickness, while if the traveling apron 2 is moving more rapidly relative to said back and forth movement, then the overlapping relation between the plies or layers 5 will be greater and the resultant fabric body will have fewer plies and will be of less thickness.

In making a needled fabric, the fabric body thus formed is fed to a needle loom by which it is given a needling operation thereby to condense the separate plies and interlock the fibers thereof.

The operations above described are such as are commonly employed in making needled fabric and form no rart of mv present invention.

My improved method involves-delivering to the web as it is being fed forward to the web-laying rolls 4, granulated material in the form of small pellet-like particles which have the characteristic that when so deposited on the web, the separate partic es sift by gravitational action into the interstices of the web and thereby permeate the latter so that the various layers or sections 5 of the fabric will each have incorporated therein the ran lated material.

In order to provide a fabric with a surface free from the filling material, I propose to deliver such filling material 6 to the fabric I along a longitudinal zone l which is s aced from the edge of the web thereby leaving an edge zone 8 which is free from the filling material.

The granulated filling material 6 may be deliver d to the web I as it is fed forward in any approved way. There is herein shown for this purpose a hopper or open topped container 9 to contain the granulated filling material and. which is provided with apertures in its bottom through which the granulated material sifts and is thus delivered onto the web I as it moves forward as seen in Fig. 1.

As shown in Fig. 1 the distributor 9 is so constructed that the zone 7 in which the granulated filling material is distributed is spaced from both edges of the Web 1 thereby providing on each edge of said web a longitudinal zone 8; which is free from the granulated material.

The fibers of the web I are in a more or less loose condition so that as the granulated material is delivered thereto, it readily sifts by gravitational action into and becomes incorporated in the fibers of the web throughoutthe zone The speed at which the traveling apron. is fed forward is preferably such that during each pass of the rolls l across the apron, said apronv will be moved forward a distance less than the width of the edge zone 8. Withthisv method of operation the amount which each layer or section 5 overlaps the layer next. below will be less than the width of the edge. zone 8 and the top surface of the plural ply fabric I5 as it is built up on the apron 2 will be free from granulated filling material, such top surface being formed of edge zones 8 of the overlapping layers or plies 5, the portion of each section or layer 5 of the web in which the granulated filling material is incorporated being covered by' the adjacent section.

If the granulated filling material 6 is deposited on the web I so as to leave an edge zone 8 on each edge of theweb which isfree from granulated material, then the under face of the plural ply fabric it will also be free from said granulated material.

There is thus produced anun-needled fabric which has the granulated filling material incorporated in its central o core portion [8 and each face of which is free from filling material.

The fabric thus produced is then fed to a needle loom which is exemplified by the needles id in Fig. 3, said needles operating in the usual way to condense the fabric #5 and to interlock the fibers of the various plies.

The fabric as it comes from the needle loom will, therefore, have a central or core portion it which has the granulated filling material 6 iiicorporated therein, the face portions :B-of the fabric being free from filling material.

Needled fabrics corrmonly embody a base or strength giving layer M; of fabric such as burlap, the built up'multiply fabric it? being transferred to and mounted on a burlap base it before it is fed to the needle loom so that in the neediing operation the fibers of the various layers not only become interlocked with each other but said fibers also become interlocked with the base layer M. After the multi-ply fabric has been built up on the traveling apron 2 it may be transferred to a web of burlap which is moving forward in the direction of its length and by which it is fed to the needle loom, the latter operating in a Well known manner to interlock the fibers of the multi-ply fabric with each other and with the burlap web or base.

After the fabric has been subjected to the needling operation, it may, if desired, be compressed by passing it between squeeze rolls 5? as shown in Fig. 3.

The fabric thus produced has; as stated above, a core portion It in which the granulated filling material is incorporated and two face layers i3 which are free from the filling material so that said. material is. not visible on the face of the fabric.

If it is desired to produce a needled fabric of this type which is relatively stiff, then the fabric f5, afterit has been needled, may be passed through a bath l8 of some binding material as shown in Fig. 5, which, if desired, may be thermosetting so that after the fabric has been dried, it will be relatively stiff.

I claim: V

l. The steps in the method of making a needled fabric containing granulated filling material, which method consists. in moving a web of unspun fibrous material forwardly continuously in the direction of its length, depositing on said web as it is thus moving forward granulated filling material which, because of its granulated condition, will sift by gravitational action into and permeate the body of the web when deposited thereon, laying said web with the granulated. material permeating it back, and forth in zigzag fashion across a travelling support thereby form ing a plural ply fabric, and then subjecting the plural ply fabric to a needling operation.

2. 'lhemethod of making a needlecl fabric containing granulated fillingmaterial, which: method consists in moving a web of unspun fibrous material forwardly continuously in the direction of its length, depositing on said. web as it is thus moving forward granulatedfilling material which, because of its granulated condition, will sift by gravitational action into and thus permeate the body of the web when deposited thereon, laying said web with the granulated material permeating it back and forth in zigzag fashion across a travelling apron, transferring such plural ply fabric to a backing fabric and then subjecting the plural ply fabric and backing fabric to a needling operation. FRANCIS ROLAND MCDERMOTT.

References Cited in the file'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name. 7 Date 1,297,201 McEntire Mar. 11, 1919 1,698,881 Erdmann Jan. 15, 1929 1,879,174 Gail Sept. 27, 1932 2,381,184 Ripley a- Aug. 7, 1945 

